Tranceformations

Tranceformations is MID’s signature work and explores the physical sensations, hallucinations, and transformations visualized and experienced by the ritual healers while in trance. All the images in the choreography were depicted on the San rock art. The dance shows what the shamans do, feel and see. The final transformation in our journey takes the San into the modern world. This dance pays tribute to a dispossessed people and their culture.

Choreographer: Sylvia Glasser

fight, flight, feathers, f***ers is a collaboration between British-born choreographer Rachel Erdos and Moving into Dance company member Sunnyboy Mandla Motau, and explores the politics and physicality of masculinity. This work was commissioned by the Dance Umbrella and premiered at the Festival in 2015 and was rated as one of the Top 5 works presented at the festival.

Choreographers: Rachel Erdos and Sunnyboy Motau

Man Longing

Man Longing is an exploration into the dark and sinister world of human trafficking. Through the use of dance and poetry this choreography hopes to bring awareness to young people of the dangers that lurk out there and the consequences of being a victim of human trafficking. Many young people are forced into prostitution against their will, some are kept as modern day slaves, and others are introduced to the underworld of drug dealing and use. The city, while luring in its attraction of greener pastures, leaves many stranded and at risk of the evils that prowl the streets in the quiet stillness of night.

Choreographer: Sunnyboy Motau

“beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position …”

This new multi-media work was premiered in France at the prestigious Lyon Biennale on 23 September and went on a six week tour in theatres throughout France before it returned to Johannesburg to feature in MID’s season. Costumes are by internationally acclaimed South African fashion designer Marianne Fassler using plastic and waste material such as sweet wrappers and empty chip packets for the haute de couture garments worn by the MID dancers.

By Robyn Orlin

Threads is a cross-cultural and cross-generational artistic collaboration between legendary “living national treasure”, choreographer and cultural activist, Dame Sylvia ‘Magogo’ Glasser, and Lebo Mashile, one of South Africa’s celebrated young literary voices. Threads deals with gender relationships, cultural and artistic identity. This work can be thought of as a verbal dance or a physical poem. With a pallet of sound, movement and constantly transforming architectural structures a sensor kaleidoscope is formed. First performed in 2008 as part of the Moving into Dance 30th anniversary season, Threads has been now been reworked and includes a brand new poem together with new choreography and speaks to the added social issue of xenophobia.

Collaborative Creation: Sylvia Glasser with Live poetry by Lebo Mashile